Return of children from the occupied territories, photo by Dmytro Lubinets
Another six children have been returned to Ukraine-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This was reported by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
According to the parents, their children were forced to attend Russian schools and celebrate Russian holidays. The occupiers pressured Ukrainians to obtain Russian-issued documents. In addition, armed Russians broke into families’ homes and conducted searches without cause.
«The feeling of disenfranchisement, restriction, and awareness of what the future holds for the children became the impetus for their departure,» Lubinets wrote.
He also noted that one of the families has already visited the Child Rights Protection Centre. There a team of representatives from an NGO, a charity foundation, and government agencies discussed providing the necessary assistance. The other family was assisted by employees of the Ombudsman’s Office from the regional office in Cherkasy region. The assistance was provided by the NGO «Association of Large Families ‘Kryla’» and Caritas-Spes Ukraine.
If a child goes missing, you should report it to the National Police of Ukraine by calling 102. If the child may have been deported to Russia or is in the temporarily occupied territory, in addition to the police, you should also report it to the Ombudsman’s Office by calling 0 800 50 17 20 (within Ukraine), 044 299 74 08 (for calls from abroad), or by emailing hotline@ombudsman.gov.ua.
Earlier, the head of the Save Ukraine NGO, Mykola Kuleba, stated that 1.5 million Ukrainian children have been in the occupied territories and Russia since 2014, many of whom have been illegally deported or forcibly displaced.
Hromadske Radio previously reported on what exactly the Russians are doing with abducted Ukrainian children and how to put an end to these crimes.